Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as they watch a fly past to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force in central London, Britain July 10, 2018.
Reuters/Chris Radburn

The birth of Meghan Markle’s child would reportedly signal the start of Prince Harry and Prince William’s split. Although very close, two royal brothers will inevitably have to separate to better fulfil their duties and responsibilities.

The brothers have been through a lot together. They have always depended on each other, no matter what scandal or tragedy they faced. But now that both are married, with one brother already has three kids and the other about to welcome his first, it is time that they separate.

According to the Times, William, 36, and Harry, 34, are considering “a formal division of their joint royal household” following the birth of Harry and Meghan’s first child. The dukes of Cambridge and Sussex will reportedly be separating their household at Kensington Palace to reflect their increasingly different responsibilities.

“The brothers have leant on each other and looked after each other since their mother died,” a source told the paper. “But now they have their own families, they no longer rely on each other as before.”

Although they would allegedly start to split households from the time Meghan gives birth, which was reportedly due in the spring in the UK (autumn in Australia), the process has been slowly taking place since their first joint private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, retired in 2013.

According to the Daily Mail, they have been working largely independently for the past five years even though they still share domestic staff and a press office. They will also become increasingly independent in the future, with William spending time on matters of state and the Duchy of Cornwall, the private estate that would will fund his public work, as well as his private household.

As future King and Queen, William and Kate Middleton will take more duties when he inherits Prince Charles’ title as Prince of Wales, while Harry and Meghan will have “more of a blank canvas with their roles.”

“There is a gulf in the style and approach to the work that William and Kate will increasingly do as future head of state and consort,” a source told the paper.

Harry is expected to continue to pursue his philanthropic works, including the Invictus Games. William is still free to devote time to their joint mental health drive, Heads Together, and their charitable organisation, the Royal Foundation, but will shift to more serious state concerns as the time comes.